On a recent Wednesday episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast, quarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals was interviewed and asked how his current contract may be restructured to make room to sign key offensive weapons, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Burrows’ response seemed to indicate that he was well prepared to answer this sort of question.
“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow said. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”
The Uncertainty Around Higgins May Influence Burrow’s Contract
According to Burrow’s teammate, Higgins, the decision on whether to leave or depart from Cincinnati this off-season is not his to make.
Higgins recently told Fox 19’s Joe Danneman in an interview his current thoughts on his future with the Bengals.
“We all want to keep the core pieces what it is. … Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy…But it’s not in my hands right now. I got to do what I need to do, and if that’s go to another team, that’s what happens”.
The interview also featured Higgins expressing a warm sense of gratitude to the city of Cincinnati’s fanbase. He also acknowledged the fans’ “TEEE” chant as well.
To Franchise Tag or Not Franchise Tag?
Prior to the 2024 season, the Bengals franchised tagged Higgins following failed contract negotiations. Should the Bengals intend to keep Higgins for the upcoming 2025 season, they either have to franchise tag Higgins again or come to a contract agreement with Higgins during 2025 free agency.
Cincinnati does face an interesting decision should they choose to Franchise tag Higgins, as they will owe Higgins significantly more than the $21.8 million he earned for the 2024 season.
It’s important to note that the Bengals have Burrow on contract until 2029. Should the Bengals want to go forward building around Burrow, offensive weapons like Higgins will be necessary.
Higgins was ranked 30th in receiving yards for the 2024 NFL regular season, despite just playing 12 games this season. It’s reasonable to speculate that if Higgins played five more games this season he likely would have led significantly higher than 30th overall in receiving yards.
Notably, Chase was ranked number one in total receiving yards in 2024 having played 17 regular season games.
A Lucrative Contract Coming For Higgins?
A potential contract for Higgins in the market as a free agent may mirror some of Higgins’ peers in the NFL who are similar in production. For instance, Nico Collins of the Houston Texans is currently signed to a three-year $72,750,000 contract. Collins is about the same age as Higgins with only about 100 total receiving yards separating the two this season.
Should Higgins sign a similar contract with the Bengals, he would average around $24 million a year and be the Bengal’s 2nd highest paid player, with only Joe Burrow making more on the roster.
The Bengals face a critical decision on re-signing Higgins this off-season as the Bengals’ star wide receiver, Chase, is only a season out from free agency. Due to being the number one ranked wide receiver in total yards this season, Chase is a strong candidate for a major deal. The Bengals may very well make their decision on Higgins’ fate should they believe re-signing both players a year from one another may be unfeasible.
While the future for Higgins and Chase does remain quite uncertain, the Bengals do have to decide whether to re-franchise tag Higgins by March 4 this year.
However, Duke Tobin, Bengals’ director of personnel, recently noted that signing Higgins to an extension this off-season would be a “priority” for the Bengals.
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